KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has given 10 days to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director to work out its financing plan for the construction of an underground and mezzanine floor for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station near Mazar-e-Quaid so that a final decision could be taken to start the project.
The decision was taken in a meeting in which Pakistan Resident Mission Ms Xiaohong Yang along with Mian Shaukat Shafi, ADB Urban Unit head and others had called on Shah here at the CM house.
The projects which came under discussion include supporting public-private partnership investments in Sindh, the proposed ‘Sindh Education Sector Investment Programme’, as well as, ongoing and future energy sector projects, and ongoing and future transport projects particularly, Sindh roads and the Karachi BRT.
The chief minister said that the major objective of the BRT is to improve the urban transport system (UTS) of the provincial capital. He thanked ADB for providing technical and financial support to implement a BRT corridor and strengthening institutions and organizations managing the urban sector.
It was noted that the project preparatory technical assistance (PPTA) would build on feasibility studies for priority BRT corridors undertaken by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Green and Red Lines and the government for the Yellow Line and on advance preparation activities undertaken under an ADP cluster.
The ADB has already approved a $9.7 million Project Design Advance (PDA) loan for BRT project.
The bank’s country director suggested that Murad Ali Shah establish an underground and mezzanine floor for the station at Numaish and that it must be developed as a retail area.
The ADB is also working on 21.5 Km Red Line BRT starting from Model Colony, Airport, University Road, NIPA and Numaish. It would be around $200 million projects.
Moreover, the Sindh CM also approved the establishment of a Karachi BRT Company responsible for operations and maintenance of different lines.
EDUCATION SECTOR: The ADB and School Education Department has identified three areas, including increasing access at secondary education level, improve teachers’ quality and capacity and introduce examination reforms.
INCREASING ACCESS AT SECONDARY LEVEL: This would involve support for strengthening government’s school education PPP programs such as Education Management Organizations (EMOs) programmes and programmes operated by Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) and improving public school infrastructure, including classrooms, laboratories and missing facilities such as drinking water, toilets and boundary walls.
TEACHER QUALITY: The Teacher Quality, Teacher Management and Accountability for Improved Secondary Education Outcomes (TQTMAISEO) involves support for programs aimed at improving pre-and in-service teacher training, recruitment and placement; as well as measures to strengthen teacher performance assessment and accountability for educational outcomes.
EXAMINATION REFORMS: This would involve support for improving the structure and design of secondary education examination system.
The CM directed School Education Secretary Iqbal Durrani to submit a concept paper to the ADB so that the project could be approved.
The other project that came under discussion was enhancing public-private partnership. P&D chairman briefed the Sindh CM and said the projects envisages strengthening the Sindh government’s capacity to select and develop PPP projects, effectively manage PPP project-related fiscal risk and strengthening of PPP project management capacity of concerned departments.
It is a $184.13 million project in which ADB loan would be 54 percent, DFID grant would be 11 percent while Sindh government share would be 35 percent.
In the meeting, the projects were approved and necessary actions would be taken accordingly. Murad has approved the release of Rs 5 million to start the project.
